Differentiable rigidity under Ricci curvature lower bound (Q662417)

This article is devoted to a proof of the following: Theorem. Given any integer \(n \geq 3\) and a real number \(d > 0\), there exists an \(\epsilon(n,d) > 0\) such that the following holds. Suppose that \((X,g_0)\) is an \(n\)-dimensional closed hyperbolic manifold with diameter \(\leq d\) and that \(Y\) is a closed manifold that dominates \(X\), meaning that there exists a degree-one map \(f: Y \rightarrow X\). Then \(Y\) has a metric \(g\) such that \[ \text{Ric}_g \geq -(n-1)g \quad \text{and} \quad \text{vol}_g(Y) \leq (1+\epsilon) \text{vol}_{g_0}(X) \] if and only if \(f\) is homotopic to a diffeomorphism. The proof relies on the theory of limits of Riemannian manifolds with Ricci curvature bounded below developed in a series of papers by \textit{J. Cheeger} and \textit{T. H. Colding} [Ann. Math. (2) 144, No. 1, 189--237 (1996; Zbl 0865.53037); J. Differ. Geom. 46, No. 3, 406--480 (1997; Zbl 0902.53034); J. Differ. Geom. 54, No. 1, 13--35 (2000; Zbl 1027.53042)]. This theorem improves earlier work of the authors [\textit{G. Besson}, \textit{G. Courtois} and \textit{S. Gallot}, Geom. Funct. Anal. 5, No. 5, 731--799 (1995; Zbl 0851.53032); \textit{L. Bessières}, Comment. Math. Helv. 73, No. 3, 443--479 (1998; Zbl 0909.53024)].